The Jackal, the Mignonette and the Wolf
by Nusaka
Summary: Agreeing to help a friend in need may have been the worst mistake in Hyuuga Hinata’s life. AU Gaara. Hinata. Sasuke. Chapter 3: A twisted ankle, a wolf and a dream of a dream.
1. Chapter 1

_The Jackal, the Mignonette and the Wolf_

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Let it be known right here and now…our 'heroine' if she can even be called such is not super strong, or incredibly brilliant, heartbreakingly beautiful or anything of those fancy accessories. No. She's as simple as they can get, not special save for those freaky pale fish belly eyes of hers, except for one thing. Now, wait…let's rewind a bit shall we?

Hyuuga Hinata (the main character of our little tale) is from a respectable family. She works at a café across the street of a local pet store where her friend Uzumaki Naruto works (she sort of…likes him). Her preferred color is blue and she likes the sound of people laughing, so she purposely buys a ticket once a week to a comedy movie (even though she knows that she'll hate it). She buys this ticket and sits down in the middle most of all the seats just to listen to people laugh out loud at some stupid move or stunt and funny gesture within the movie. She doesn't laugh much herself, but she likes the sound of others laughing.

She likes red bean buns with hot chocolate and shares her tips with the busboy at the end of the day. She goes to the pet store quite often at the end of work because she likes Naruto's company who talks about the new animals he's received or talks about something else entirely. She likes all the animals he has in the pet store, except for that one, large python that always looks cramped in its glass case and irate all the time.

Hinata is rather disliked by her family for refusing the heiress title and running away from them altogether, having to hide out at Naruto's apartment for a few months until she could get on her own feet again.

Hinata is a rather gentle person, rarely angry and while she's quick to forgive – she never forgets any wrong that had ever been done to her or her close friends. She has small smiles and a tickling sort of giggle that's faint like glass chimes, and if she's angry at someone she bites her bottom lip until it bleeds or she doesn't face them at all. Her favorite season is spring because it's a dawn of a new age, something freed from a cage and pretty to watch everything rise from wintry set graves.

That is Hyuuga Hinata; a rather standard person with her own set of quirks and despite her normalcy there is something big about to happen in her world. Very big. For you see, she was never popular or particularly picked on, but rather average set; she was not rich but nor was she unable to feed herself – she was well enough off. She was not beautiful enough (rather fairly pretty) to bring empires to their knees like a Helen of Troy wannabe. She was not intelligent enough (only smart and leave it at that) to come up with cures for cancer, the common cold or to theorize the meaning of existence. Oh, she also wasn't a closet psycho killer so she wouldn't leave a mark that way either.

Hyuuga Hinata will be the start of the end of the world.

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It all started on a Friday late afternoon, in the not so crowded little café across the street from the pet store. Hinata was wiping down a caffeine covered table till it was spotless and she pulled out a pen and paper from her apron pocket to take the newest customer's order. "Hello, welcome to 'The Quick Stop', what can I get you?" the darkly clothed man (who was oddly beautiful) stared a moment at the clean table.

"Black coffee," he answered shortly and his wild black hair was matted to his head, from the rain that was pouring outside. He cast his gaze up to Hinata who was staring outside with a dream, dreamy, hazy gaze far away suddenly. "Hey, waitress, coffee, now." He ordered and scowled up at her with his pitch black eyes. Hinata snapped out of it and nodded, smiling apologetically.

"Right away, thank you."

"Whatever," he muttered back when she turned on her heel and rushed to the kitchen, leaning over the counter.

"I need a black joe, please," she called out and a bowl cut hairdo popped up from behind the counter so suddenly that Hinata jumped back and held a hand to her breast where her heart beat wildly.

"You got it!" he said and smiled, bright white teeth shining in the pseudo light of the café. Hinata sighed and nodded back absently. Opal eyes roamed back over to her customer to find him clicking a pen while he stared down at a newspaper which was steadily being rained upon by his sopping hair. She looked over at the ticking clock which read 6:45 and it would be closing time soon. There were hardly any customers in here, except for a middle aged man who was shifting continuously in his seat, and he kept looking nervously at the dark haired and pale skinned man across the room.

It was still raining rather horribly outside.

"Here you are, Hinata," Lee (her friendly co worker) said jovially. A steaming hot cup of coffee was before her and she hooked her finger around the stem.

Walking to the dark haired man she tip toed quietly until she was right next to him and placed his cup of coffee down gently, still standing there. "What?" he snipped, staring down at the crossword puzzle in the newspaper.

"Emollient." She spoke quietly, feeling the need to have her fingers curl around her lips.

He looked up and she saw darkness, a walking black hole drawing her in. "Which?" he said, tone not softer, but colder and not hostile anymore.

"Number seventeen, across," she said softly, and hid her hands behind her back, fingers entwining so she wouldn't fidget. His eyes stayed on her face before he looked away and looked back at the paper, writing the word in.

After a bit his hand went to his coffee cup and he down the hot liquid in one go, placing it and the newspaper down on the table once more. His pen went back in his coat. The other customer within the café rushed out as though the devil was on his heels. The dark haired stranger placed his money down, ten dollars and the coffee didn't cost that much, he didn't ask for change either.

"Thank you, come again," she said and he looked over his shoulder when his hand was on the door, rain droplets still beading from his hair and falling down.

"Hn. Maybe," he said casually and turned the very direction the desperate, balding man had run to.

Rain pelted the store window, landing in droplets and lightning flashed like a cracking whip. Dreamy, dreamy, dreamy, dream of a dream…

"Hinata!" a loud voice called to her, snapping her out of her daze and the pale eyed young woman turned to face Lee, "I'll close up tonight, you should get home before the rain worsens!" he said with a thumbs' up and a large grin.

She smiled graciously, "Thanks Lee." He yelled out a good bye when she unwound her apron and folded it neatly, taking her purse and tucking beneath her arm.

"Good bye Lee!" she called over her shoulder and opened the door, sprinting across the street to the still open and not yet closed pet store. Rain soaked her hair and clothes thoroughly, freezing water on her body. She pushed the door open and cringed when she felt wet pants' legs slap at her ankles; cold water against her cold skin. "Naruto?" she called questioningly and rather suddenly a head of spiky yellow hair popped out of an open door labeled 'Employees Only'.

"Hey Hinata! Fancy seeing you here!" he said brightly, waving his hand and she waved back a little shyly. Stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him he grinned at his shy little dark haired friend. "How was work?" he questioned while he leaned over a fish tank and uncapped some fish food to sprinkle in.

Hinata watched as the fish swam up and nibbled at the little pieces of food, and thought of the dark haired man when her opalescent eyes wandered over to a singular fish bowl with one purple fighting fish in it. "It was alright," she said calmly, looking over at Naruto who seemed to being brimming with excitement.

"Psst! Hinata! C'mere," he looked around as though someone would pop up from behind one of the shelves of dog food. "I've something really, really neat to show you," he grinned from ear to ear in childish vigor. He made a hand motion and looked at her like she was a top secret conspirator. He nodded with his head and Hinata looked at him oddly, "C'mon!" he encouraged and she followed him when he moved to the door he'd popped out from earlier.

He turned the knob and opened the door slowly. He stepped in quickly and dragged Hinata in by her wrist, "Look," he whispered, "But be quiet, 'cause he's sleeping…" he murmured softly, pointing at a form of light, sandy brown and oddly colored grey markings on the creature's fur. Hinata's brows furrowed in question and she stepped closer to observe whatever it was that was lying on the floor. There was a knock on the door and Naruto turned, "Crap! Hinata, I'll be right back, okay?" she heard the door open and close, then voices outside. Hinata turned her attention back on the resting animal in front of her.

He had a thick collar around his neck and the animal shifted, grumbling. Hinata stepped a little closer and crouched down in front of…him. What looked to be some sort of weird dog moved again but this time he leapt up suddenly.

Teeth closed near where her neck was, but stopped short rather abruptly and Hinata was a bit horrified that the beast had either missed or did it purposely because he still had quite a bit of slack on his leash. Hot breath over her throat and she managed to let a whimper out, not wanting to move in case he responded equally quickly to any sudden movement. The breath moved and she watched the thick body move as well, and the dog thing or whatever it was sniffed behind her ear, breath ruffling fly away strands of hair. The fur that tickled beneath her jaw was rather soft like a combed pelt, and smelled of wood smoke. Something slightly wet, hard and threatening touched the skin of her throat. A tooth.

Then, what felt like lips replaced the single tooth held against her neck and hot gusts of breath fanned over her neck, "_I smell your fear_," it was a hiss; words made by tongue of man and not animal. The lips moved against her neck like a lover's would ghost over pliant flesh and tickled like enemy's poison to the heart. Hinata blinked and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping she wasn't caught in another daydream.

She opened them to gaze straight ahead to the wall and still felt a tooth pressed to her neck, breath over her neck and ear and fur underneath her chin and around her jaw line tickled.

Her gaze went down the length of the animal's spine and came to rest on his tail, large and long; it resembled that of a raccoon. It twitched.

Hinata slowly began to pull her head away from the animal, trying to coax it further away from the tooth that grazed her soft flesh. She withheld a gulp. He snapped his teeth close to her ear and she jumped a little. He moved away quietly and quickly, large paws making no noise on the concrete below him.

Hinata fell on her backside, mind not comprehending what happened. She stared at the animal in front of her that stared back not so mindlessly, inklings of intellect lingering beneath animalistic curiosity. His face was raccoon like as well; black rings surrounding tawny gold eyes with black pupils. The strange grey colored marks on his face as well just like the rest of his body. He sat on his haunches and grunted at her. Head cocked slightly to one side, he studied her intently.

Lips pulled back to reveal malicious looking fangs that were sharp and coated a little in saliva which made them look all the more ominous. His head turned sharply to the door and the pull back of his lips dropped. The knob turned and Naruto flung himself in the room once more, grinning first at the male animal before looking over at Hinata and oblivious to her shaken appearance. "Isn't he great?!" he insisted, waving his arms over his head while his foot kicked the door closed. "I found yesterday behind a dumpster – he looked kinda hungry and he wasn't moving so I brought him here." He grinned affectionately at the animal that sort of glared back at him. "Vicious bastard though – bit me when I tried to give him breakfast by hand this morning."

Blue eyes slanted over to his female companion who stood up on shaky legs, "Hey, Hinata, I wanted to ask a favor though…" he trailed off and his eyes slid back over at the raccoon dog thing.

"W-what is it?" she asked, lips pursed while she ignored her little stutter as best as she could, hands brushing her pants off. She looked up and met Naruto's eyes.

"Do you think you can…take care of him?" he asked hopefully. Hinata's face must have faltered horribly because then he was scrambling for an excuse, "Hinata, my landlord won't let me keep animals and I'm going to be moving in a few months and I'd really, really, really like to keep him, please!" he begged, hands clasped together and he was right in front of her.

"B-but," she slapped herself mentally for stuttering, "you just said he's vicious!" she protested. Naruto's eyes dropped and his face lowered, shoulders drooped.

"Right, sorry, that was pretty stupid of me to ask…guess I could put him up for adoption or something, right?" he sounded like a child whose dog just died.

Hinata bit her lip; cursing her bleeding heart and marshmallow soft spot for Naruto. "I…I suppose I could…look after him for just a few months…" she trailed off and shivered violently at the memory of a tooth pressed to her neck like a mugger's knife. She wrung her hands in anxiety. Arms engulfed her and swung her a little from side to side.

"Hinata, you're fantastic, great – you're an angel!" he cried out, smiling happily. He unfolded his arms from her; "I'll go get you a bag of dog food!" he called back when he rushed out of the room to prepare her for her new 'guest'. Unbidden, Hinata felt eyes on the back of her head, still feeling very hot and flushed from Naruto's giant bear hug. She turned slightly and met head on with golden eyes that gleamed in the light.

Lips pulled back to reveal teeth in what she suspected was a demented joker's grin. She felt ill at the thought of welcoming the animal in her home, despite her assurance to Naruto.

-

Review and I'll write s'more hopefully. -.-; You know, Gaara's a tanuki, right? …Does that like mean…he's exactly like them cause that's a really, REALLY naughty mental picture. XD Ew. O.O I just grossed myself out. -.-;;

Yeah, I bloody well know that the title doesn't seemingly pertain to the story but it's to represent the main characters; obviously Hinata and Gaara…shut up. My mind doesn't work that well. XD


	2. Chapter 2

_The Jackal, the Mignonette and the Wolf_

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Needless to say, Hinata was not happy about the arrangement of the rather vicious animal that had assaulted her having free range in her home; a small cottage behind an abandoned school. It was a nice, quaint little place that had a garden in the front and vines of honeysuckle crawling along the wall built around the school. The school had been abandoned years ago; it had caught fire and hadn't been torn down or rebuilt – so there it remained like some wilted bathroom ghost. The house was small, so was the yard it had but cozy and fitting nonetheless.

Anyway, back to the previous subject.

When they'd arrived home in the pouring rain, she was shivering and her clothes stuck firmly to her body, purse soaked in rainwater. Her purse and the small bag of dog food had been placed on her dining table while she used one hand to try and squeeze the water out of her hair. The animal had stubbornly tugged the leash out of her hand before his fur puffed out and he shook himself. Water splattered over her immaculate carpet and on Hinata as well, who tried to vainly shield her face with her shuddering hands. The animal looked over his shoulder at her and regarded her with a half gaze, limpid and uninterested.

He'd blinked before snorting at her in what she would have called sarcastically before trotting off to her living area. His large paws left damp imprints behind and he sat himself on her leather sofa, curled up and staring blankly at the television that wasn't on. She returned the glance as well before walking down the hall to have a hot shower that may very well burn her skin off.

Now, twenty-five minutes later, with thick socks on her feet and flannel pajamas, she wandered back into the living area curiously and cautiously since she heard people speaking. Hinata looked around the corner from the hallway to discover that the television was on. The remote lay innocently beside the canine she had very reluctantly allowed in her home and his gaze was fixated on the screen, one ear twitching towards her absently. Stepping over to the loveseat, she sat down on the large chair next to it, but angled towards the small sofa. Her eyes turned to the television screen and her brows knit in confusion at what the characters were saying. Her eyes widened a bit in recognition at what the program was.

It was that soap opera everyone was making a big deal about at work and she'd seen the first episode last week – both of the main characters were yelling at each other and the woman was crying. Her eyes cast back over to the raccoon…dog…whatever thing to find that his golden eyes were locked firmly on the screen, avidly watching the interaction between the people with what looked to be second handed intrigue. His ear twitched when the woman screamed. His head cocked and had he had eyebrows Hinata wondered if they would have rose when the woman screamed again and her hand lashed out, catching the man's cheek.

The creature in her home was odd enough, but Hinata knew she hadn't left the television on and she didn't turn it on when she entered her home. She looked suspiciously at the animal which had an impassive gaze that was glued to the screen and the remote that was partially hidden beneath a large and fluffy tail. It was insane to insinuate that the animal had turned her Sony© television on – but TV's didn't go around flipping on and off just for the hell of it either. However, Hinata believed that she could entirely place the blame on her short attention span and leave it at that – she'd seen stranger sights after all.

Her legs withdrew up on the chair and folded beneath her while she turned her attention to the TV as well, not wanting to risk her wrist and hand to grab the remote from the creature and was too lazy to get up and turn it by hand. It looked to be coming to an end when the camera panned out on the man's downcast face (which Hinata criticized to be looking like a rhinoceros head on). The credits rolled and melancholic music rolled to signify the end of the episode.

Hinata turned at the sound of a snort, looking back at the animal. He shook his head a little and stared at the television, tail flicking in what was either bemusement or annoyance – and _why_ was she taking note of this?

She had no clue and no excuse to do so beyond the fact that she may want to read him for future reference. She also didn't have control of the remote.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion again when the tail pushed it beneath a lifted paw and apparently he pushed the 'Up' arrow because the station turned from 9 to 10. She watched between the animal and television like one would watch an on going tennis match. The animal was either very smart or she was trapped in another daydream and still in the shower. Her nails pinched the skin of her thigh firmly and she withheld a yelp.

The raccoon dog thing, whatever, was still turning the channels in a bored fashion.

The TV suddenly buzzed a little and it went black. Hinata blinked at the loss of entertainment to waste her evening away and turned to the canine, who had suddenly sat up on his haunches, looking at her in a most peculiar way. His ears were folded back and eyes were squinted, as though looking into a much too bright light. His ears twitched simultaneously and his head snapped in the direction of her door.

Lips pulled away to reveal teeth and he bounded over the back of the sofa stand at the door. Hinata watched him curiously and his ear twitched once more, going from the door to following closely to the wall and to the window. Hinata looked up when she felt someone watching her and saw that there was a lone figure standing at the window in the torrent of the rain. A hand raised and tapped knuckles on the glass of her window.

The shock eventually wore off enough for the young waitress to scream and bolt to the door, sliding the lock into its latch and double checking the door's lock. Her wet towel fell to the floor, shaken free from her hair which now curled around her face like straggly vines. Something brushed alongside her leg and she looked down, jumping when she saw the silent animal near her, glaring at the door with slightly bared teeth. A thought, rather ridiculous to think about when there was a creepy person skulking around your house, came to her in an odd way. '_You make a horrible watchdog. You don't even bark_.'

Hinata moved away from the door when she heard a knock. Her trembling hands were reaching for the phone in the kitchen to call the police or her closest neighbor. She heard grumbling on the other side, "You. Person, girl, open up." Hinata may have laughed at the nonsensical situation which would later remind her of the 'Three Pigs and the Wolf', perhaps it may have tempted her to say 'Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin!' but as it was – no. She was much too scared to think of old fables and parodies. She heard a distressed sigh on the other side of the door, "I'm not here to murder _or_ rape you – but I've got your wallet." Hinata felt her heart palpitating.

Why did this man (obviously male or very masculine woman taking steroids) have her wallet? Did she drop it – or oh god was he _stalking _her?!

"I'm not a stalker either, so don't flatter yourself. I was at your coffee shop earlier – the one doing the crossword puzzle and I found your wallet when I was heading back home." Hinata was silent and felt a bit offended.

Her eyes roamed over and her hand slid open a kitchen drawer, pulling out the first thing her hand was wrapped around. "A-a," she gulped and forced herself to spit out the words and not show any fright in her voice, "Alright…hold on a minute then would you?" she asked and she heard another irritated grumble. She sneaked over to her soaked purse and peeked inside; chocolate and honey Tiger energy bars, Winterfresh gum and a tightly wound ball of rubber bands. No wallet.

She coughed and cursed in her mind – dropping her wallet and a stranger finding it. Now someone she didn't know knew where she lived. She licked her lips and raised the weapon in her hand slowly (it was a wooden rolling pin) while she edged to the door. Had she been looking at the animal still beside the door, she would have noticed the comically blank stare he was giving her that would pertain to someone looking at another person with the words, 'You're an idiot,' on their lips.

She unhooked the latch with shaky fingers of her free hand and slowly turned the lock of the door, then turned the knob. The rolling pin was raised and bad coordination cut in. a wild swipe that the stranger avoided and Hinata stumbled a bit – about to fall till he caught her by the elbow firmly and wrenched her back into her home. He went inside and slipped his shoes off in a mild manner as though she _hadn't_ just attacked him. The animal (dog, raccoon whatever) stared at him, no longer sitting but his tawny gaze narrowed and lips pulled back in what Hinata (shivering) recalled as a demented joker's smile. The black haired stranger with hair that looked like the back of a duck turned to her. Thin fingers lifted in front of her face and brandished a light blue wallet with a black leather strap around its middle. Oh. Her wallet.

She smiled weakly and she noticed that one hand still had the rolling pin raised – she chuckled a bit nervously and hid it behind her back as though it would magically make the black haired man forget that he may have been mauled to unconsciousness by a rolling pin and a five foot four waitress. He stared back and Hinata saw fathomless twin night skies – or black holes because no light shined in his eyes at all. Pitch black.

"Th-thank you…" she murmured, taking her wallet with hesitant fingers and beating herself mentally at stuttering – a habit which had not been easy to rid herself of. He nodded but turned his attention back to the animal which was still staring (glaring more like) back at him.

"When did you get him?" he questioned and Hinata placed her wallet down to look over at the animal.

"He's…not mine. I'm watching him for a friend for a while…" she trailed off when she looked back over at the pale man. "He's a rather troublesome…er…dog," she added as an afterthought.

"He's not a dog."

Hinata blinked in confusion, "Pardon?"

The black haired and eyed man repeated himself, sounding irritated at it, "He's not a dog – he's a tanuki."

Now, here is somewhere where it might be a good idea to mention. When someone tells you that a local, everyday and not so special house pet or guest is in fact a mythical creature or something other there are three stages that happen accordingly; shock, amusement and denial.

Hinata stared with her mouth open and hysterical laughter bubbled up but she put an airtight lid over it; she invited an insane man into her home. He looked over at her seriously and Hinata couldn't contain the few escaping giggles when he looked so…_serious_ about the subject. "Uhm…no, he's, he's just a funny looking dog." Hinata noticed the small glare the animal shot her. '_He's touchy and a horrible watchdog_.'

She then realized the man was still staring at her as though she was an incompetent idiot, "He's a tanuki…trust me." He said slowly, talking to a five year old child sounded more intelligent.

"He's not a tanuki…" Hinata trailed off uncertainly and uneasy at having let the stranger in her home rather naively. "There's no such thing as a legendary raccoon dog that carries around huge vats of sake and has big…you know…" she let it hang off there and the black haired man looked on (still in annoyance) in slight amusement.

"Testicles?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

The young waitress groaned and buried her face in her hands, flushed baked lobster red before letting out a muffled, "Yes."

He sighed and ran his fingers through his black mane, looking once more at the animal before them. The tawny colored dog stared back, his eyes half lidded making the black rings around his eyes look thicker.

He looked back over to the Hyuuga waitress, "My name is Sasuke," he stated and looked at her expectantly.

"My name's Hinata, but I suppose you knew that," she finished lamely, still not able to meet his eyes properly. "Would…you like a drink?" she offered hospitably. The raven haired man looked like he was considering it before he looked over at the ticking clock stuck to the wall of her kitchen.

"No. I need to get going." He turned and drops of rain from his hair flung off and onto her face; chilled like pliant ice cubes.

She nodded and placed the rolling pin on the table behind her, while Sasuke slipped into his shoes and opened the door. She shivered at the freezing wind and needle sharp rain that entered. He was out the door, "Thank you for returning my wallet!" she called out loudly; at least loud for her. He turned and pitch black eyes drilled a hole through hers. He turned back away and trotted down the dark and empty road. The lightning flashed and he was gone, leaving in his wake a much shorted shadows that walked on all fours.

Dream of a dream. Hinata told herself; all she did anymore was daydream.

She turned to find the tawny furred animal staring after where the dark haired man had disappeared off to. Hinata looked at the clock and sighed when she noticed it was late and she had to work early tomorrow. She stretched and heard her bones pop. Her fingers tapped the buttons to the lights and they went out.

"I'm going to bed," she announced softly, and not knwoing why, to the animal in front of her before wandering down the hallway to her bedroom.

Gold eyes watched her form vanish into the room and didn't hear the door close completely.

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The clock in the kitchen ticked midnight. A body lithe and predatory slid against the carpet, tile and down a dark hall. Scales rippled against a carpet and a tongue lashed out to taste the air. Sleek and arrow-headed, the serpentine creature slithered down the hall and a thick body pushed the door open forcefully.

The door creaked open a little and lightning flashed outside, thunder rumbled. Green so dark it resembled black crawled along the floor like a living smudge. A long purple colored tongue tasted the air and there were thick ridges above its jewel cut black eyes that glittered with dark promise.

An inexpensive futon was laid out before the creature, side winding, it slickly moved along and slipped over a thick minx blanket. The heavy body left a deep impression behind and a tongue lashed out, tasting, feeling, excited and wanting.

The mouth of the arrowhead opened and twin long fangs slid out from their sockets.

A drawn out hiss was drowned out by thunder, an open and hungry mouth neared a pale throat – ready for the kill. Lightning flashed and teeth sliced through the air, snapping. The snake was roughly pulled off from the bed by a jaw clenched painfully on its tail, tugging and flinging it against a wall where it landed on the ground.

Hissing, it rose but was mauled by a set of impressive canine teeth, black rings surrounding a pair of gold eyes watched the life drain from the serpent. It bit down on the neck, watching the snake thrash and feeling the slap of a dying and nervy tail against his face. The prone, lifeless body of the serpent was dropped and the tawny haired animal licked his bloodied chops, casting a glance over at the Hyuuga with gaze narrowed.

Turning back to the serpent, he stared down at the pool of blood as black and thick and appetizing as tar that surrounded it. He looked over at the still sleeping woman who had taken him in; unwittingly giving him a sanctuary that couldn't be breeched under say of a strict contract. The lightning flashed and illuminated the room, leaving not a dog that resembled a raccoon or vice versa but instead a pale skinned, redheaded youth with grey green eyes and a scowl fit over his mouth.

He walked over to her and crouched down beside her, slight curiosity in his gaze. Fingers tugged dark hair from her face, and he spoke in hushed tones beside her ear, "You should be careful who you open your home to, Hyuuga." She muttered something and turned away.

He stood once more and by her bedroom window something in the dark gazed back at him with a narrow, golden eyed glare. The redhead glared back and pulled his lips from his teeth.

A giant tawny creature that looked to be a cross between a dog and a raccoon stood in his place while a giant purple snake with horns gazed back. It ended within a moment of time holding its breath for the fall of the axe.

The lightning flashed and figure by the window had vanished, leaving a fairly large, oddly marked raccoon looking dog thing standing in the middle of the illuminated room. He turned and headed back out of the door, leaving his kill behind.

Thunder rumbled overhead and a pale skinned hand reached behind to grasp the knob and shut the door firmly.

-

…I hate this chapter so much it's unbelievable.

But I'm so incredibly happy at how many people enjoyed this story so far! It's flattering and I noticed that everyone enjoyed how I introduced Hinata (well, she's not perfect…just weird XD), and I'm glad for that too. I didn't want to make it too cliché and that's what I'm going for in this story entirely.

**I like angst** asked if I read 'The Mating Season'; no I haven't but if there's something like that in there I'll have to. XD

I figured I may as well explain WHY the title is 'The Jackal, the Mignonette and the Wolf'. It's to in one way or another represent their personalities… a jackal for Gaara since he's a little on the short/smaller side, but is vicious and he reminds me of a scavenger. Mignonette is a plant with spikes of nice smelling, tiny flowers and it's to represent Hinata who won't stand out that much (besides being the end of the world and all), but is pleasant enough. The wolf is for Sasuke (obviously) and it represents his personality…among other things. …Ignore that mini spoiler there….-coughs awkwardly-

Also…people are asking what the pairings are…um…-laughs in embarrassment- I wasn't planning on having any REAL pairings. Just…a story about three people, more or less. O.O Hehehe…don't kill me. That's not nice. n.n;

Please review and I love (platonically) you all for reviewing! XD


	3. Chapter 3

_The Jackal, the Mignonette and the Wolf_

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At first, there is a feeling of shock, and then it breaks into an utter chaotic feeling of fear. Hinata stared at the dead serpentine body lying at side of her bed, mouth trembling and she couldn't tear her eyes from it. Black, tar like blood was splattered over the white wall and coated the carpet thickly. The unmoving creature's body was a grotesque decoration in her plain room and Hinata gagged.

A deep scratching sound entered her ear and she turned to her door, nails raking over the wood impatiently. Hinata twitched a bit at the sound of the consistent nails retching over her door. There was a loud snap of teeth on the other side and a low growl of what could have been frustration. Hinata stared wide eyed at it then she skipped over to her door when something bodily slammed into her door and shook it in its frame. Gripping the knob in a sweaty grip (of which she suddenly realized that it was completely closed and not mostly like it had been last night), Hinata flung it open to see nothing. She blinked in confusion before her legs' skin prickled – breath over her flesh. She looked down and saw a displeased, raccoon like face gazing (glaring more like) up at her.

She let out a yelp when he snapped his teeth, grazing her leg with sharp incisors when she had apparently gazed at him for too long. Leaping backward, she stumbled on her ankle, heard it twist before she fell on her back on the carpet. Hissing when she tried to move her ankle and only felt sharp pain zip up her leg, her eyes remained on the furred beast before her. He moved fluidly and looking into her eyes with dark golden ones, he cocked his head as though he was a curious puppy. Not so curious when a paw landed on her ankle heavily.

She screeched and moved away from him. He batted at her foot and she heard it creak. He stared blandly at her, eyes half hooded and Hinata stared back, blinking every once in a while. So there they stayed, she sprawled on the floor of her own room with an aching ankle and the raccoon dog (whatever, she just didn't care anymore) pressing on said aching ankle. Hinata stared a bit more, but narrowed her eyes when she saw a bit of brown crust on the mouth of his muzzle. She squinted at it and recognized it as the same drying black tar splattered on her wall. Her mouth parted and she pieced it together quickly, "Did you…" she felt silly for talking to the animal, but certainly not shamed. She simply didn't have enough pride for _that_. She gulped; staring at the animal's half hooded eyes. "Did you kill that thing because it got in _here_?"

She in return received a blank look and the subtle rolling of eyes from the animal. There was more silence in which they simply stared at each other without moving at all before a low, threatening rumble interrupted their silence. Hinata's eyebrows raised and almost disappeared in her hairline. The raccoon dog's ears flipped back and he seemed to scowl when one corner of his lips lifted to reveal his teeth. His stomach grumbled irritably again and his 'scowl' deepened. Hinata snorted from her nose and lifted a hand to slap over her mouth as giggles vibrated from her betraying throat. Gold eyes glared at her and it only made it funnier - that is until a paw pressed even harder against her ankle, eliciting a yelp from her.

Hinata found herself glaring at the dog which glared back, paw flexing a bit. "Get off and let me wrap my ankle. Then I'll feed you…" she said, watching as he pushed off of her and she mumbled beneath her breath, "Absolutely nothing…" teeth snapped in the air and she jumped as she was getting up, forcing her to put pressure on her twisted ankle. She hissed and cursed the raccoon dog in her mind. Hinata looked down at her ankle, watching it purple and swell up. She nibbled on her lip while she hobbled up and held the walls around her support as she made her way to the bathroom. She didn't need to hear the soft pads of paws against her carpet to know that the thing was diligently following her. Her hand slipped from one wall and more pressure was forced on her bad ankle.

She was going to fall the wrong way on it. Soft fur rubbed against her calves and Hinata looked down out of instinct to see the animal's body keeping her up, his head pressing into her fabric covered hip. She made a choked sound in her throat, like a gurgle as she realized that he was keeping her up and her ankle hurt less now that the pressure was slowly alleviated. His head moved and he turned to her expectantly. Her hand shot out slowly and touched the wall with her palm out flatly.

He moved from his place when she continued to waddle down the hall, limping. She looked back down at the raccoon dog. First he hurts her, and then he helps her. He was just messing with her trust. As though feeling the glare, he turned blandly up to her and blinked once.

Hinata blinked when the light fell upon his eyes oddly, making them tinge to a certain green, gold fur darkening to a sepia sort of color momentarily. She looked ahead. It was just a dream of a dream. That's all she ever seemed to do anymore. Her dreamy gaze was always cast upon living dreams and one day, Hinata believed she would never wake from her dreams. Dreamy, dreamy…dreamy…

ΩΩΩΩ

The raccoon dog cast his gaze at the limping woman who had him on a leash, walking him with her to work. Apparently, the woman was smart enough not trust him alone with her home. She'd made the excuse (he found it odd that she talked to him so much) that she didn't want him to be lonesome and she'd feed him something when they got into town. He looked out of the corner of his eye and watched her stumble a bit. He resisted the urge to snap her tiny little ankles in half with a quick sip of his jaws. Even injured, she still moved so quietly. She could be rather clumsy however, take for instance within her own hallway. Her hand had slipped, she lost balance and would have broken her ankle had he not supported her on her weaker side.

Clumsy, silly woman. No wonder Uzumaki gave him to her – she needed someone to look out for her considering her habits. In the air, he caught the scent of the dark haired one who had paid the woman a visit last night. The Uchiha. They had fought once, not long ago, but when they had both been younger and Naruto had come between them. Idiot.

A burly man stalking the streets didn't move when Hinata tried to move around his giant arm, thusly knocking into her hard. Hinata gasped and flailed her arms, hand twisted around the leash.

The animal turned suddenly and watched her fall in slow motion. She caught her balance and the man turned to her, his nostrils flared. "You bitch, look what you've done!" he indicated to the coffee stain on his white shirt, from which he'd spilled his caffeinated drink on.

"Sir, I'm really very sorry"-

"I don't give a flying rat's ass if you are sorry! I'm going look like a total fuckup when I go to that meeting. Look at this!" he shoved his finger at his chest and ran it over the stain. "You stupid fucking bitch!" he reached a hand out to grab her elbow.

A quick snap of jaws, sharp teeth cut through the air like well sharpened samurai swords. Hinata froze out of pure shock at the sound, shivers running up her spine. The man in front of her yelled out; screaming while he held his arm. She blinked, withdrawing from her shock and looked at his wrist, and found that the dog resembling a raccoon by her side had sunk fangs into his flesh. Blood poured out and there was a crack of bone when the raccoon dog bit down harder suddenly. The man brought down a meaty fist in his anger and caught Hinata's face. She cried out from the slap and when his nails clipped the skin by her eye.

A splintering crack and the man was on his knees, crying like a babe. Hinata stumbled back, hand still holding the leash and she stared down at the man who had struck her. She looked down shakily at the animal on the leash. Blood dripped down and his ears were pinned back, lips curled in a snarl and baring his teeth. Hinata's deaf ears were suddenly aware of the crowd once more and she heard whispers, fingers pointing at the three of them. Hinata tugged on his leash and she was jerked forward when he began moving again.

Despite the vile act done against the equally vile man, a smile tickled her lips. She looked down at the…whatever the hell he was and started to smile at him. He cast a wary look up at her and seemed annoyed by the smile. By impulse, she reached down and patted his head. "Good dog."

She yelped when he turned and bit her index finger.

ΩΩΩΩ

The animal in the corner of the café was discerning, considering he snarled at so many customers, but for many of the customers, he was just ignored. He watched as the person who had given him a sanctuary bustled about despite her ankle, smiling at customers and dodging angry ones easily. It was already approaching night and every once in a while, due to the slow of crowds, she sat down in the chairs and sighed to herself.

The glass door then dinged and the animal turned his head and found himself facing a black furred wolf, obsidian eyes staring a hole into his head. Ears were forward and alert, eyes narrow slightly. The wolf was gone and he saw the dark haired Uchiha before him, smirking down at him nastily. "Coward," he murmured to the animal, passing him and avoiding his snapping jaws.

The golden furred animal watched the Uchiha saunter away and take a seat beside the window, settling himself in. From the pocket of his trench coat, he pulled out a newspaper clipping and a black pen. Gold eyes fell from the Uchiha and turned to the white eyed woman who had taken him in. she saw the Uchiha and smiled a bit. She reached over to talk to that huge eye browed guy behind the counter and he nodded, giving her an exuberant thumbs' up. Moments later, a steaming cup arrived on the counter and Hinata took the cup, approaching the Uchiha. He looked up and she continued to smile at him. She put the cup down beside him. He nodded at her and she tipped her head.

The raccoon dog stared at the Uchiha as she walked away. Even though she saw a pale skinned man with hardly any actual gentleman manners, he saw a black wolf. A black wolf who hid amongst normal people just like he did, a wolf with as much purpose in this hiding and cowardly business as he did; they were the same in the oddest of ways.

Gaara lifted his canine lips in a snarl at him when the Uchiha turned and smirked, tipping his coffee back.

-

…I live!

:P It's short, but it's an update and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to make them known. By the way…the snake and the figure outside the glass in the last chapter was not Sasuke. The wolf is, apparently. :D Hope you have a nice read and a nice day, folks.


	4. Chapter 4

_The Jackal, the Mignonette and the Wolf_

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Three days in a row. Three days in a row, this woman had taken him to work with her and slipped him biscuits when no one was looking from within the pouches sewn on her apron. Didn't she know chocolate was bad for dogs? Idiot woman. Said raccoon dog, whom was called _Gaara_, as Naruto had corrected her yesterday when she'd only, called him 'that', sat watching in his normal corner of the café as she wiped down the tables since there were five minutes before closing time and pocketed some left over change, giving some to Lee in return who gave her a blindingly white toothbrush commercial smile (which Gaara winced at from the sheer volume of whiteness). He blinked and nibbled a bit more on the biscotti situated between his two paws upright while he not so discreetly spat out a chocolate chip; aiming to hit the woman known as Hyuuga Hinata.

He watched her turn after she felt something tap her shoe momentarily and he watched as she slowly spaced out, staring at the floor where the chocolate chunk lay. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth parted just the slightest. Gaara's tail twitched at a sudden spine prickling feeling as he gnawed messily on the hard cookie. She hadn't moved, her eyes were glazed over and for a moment, Gaara wondered if she had died standing up.

The raccoon dog thing sat up and gulped down the rest of his snack, approaching the woman Naruto had dumped him with. She blinked and suddenly he could see her breathing again, moving around and his ears flipped back momentarily. He watched her cater to another customer who was waiting for her to take his order.

The look in her eyes was distant, fleeting and it was as though she was looking into the future like an oracle. A dreamy sort of gaze, dreams ran and nightmares crept. Golden eyes ringed in obsidian blinked at her slowly, once and he returned to his spot, tail curling over his paws where his head remained alert. Odd thing, she was. He heard the click of her uniform heels coming and he lifted his head higher to look at her. She was smiling a bit and had a bowl in her hand, "Here," she placed it down and he saw there was milk in it. He looked back up and gave her a blank stare. She sighed and her fingers twisted a bit, "That was all we have to spare right now, so just drink it and," she dug around in her apron pouch to produce a plain hazelnut and almond biscotti, "Eat this for now." She placed it on the ground and scurried away to turn the sign to 'Closed'.

The raccoon looking dog stuck his muzzle in the bowl and lapped at the milk, keeping watchful eyes on the young woman who could probably break her neck by tripping over her own feet. Licking at his lips, he turned to look out the window, standing up on all fours when across the street, a young man ran, tripping and Gaara saw what he was running from. A large black wolf trotted after him calmly, bright red eyes gleaming in the darkness and the downpour. The man, Gaara saw, screamed and ran faster. The wolf followed and the man made the mistake of going down a dead end. A final, blood curdling scream – silence. There were heels and a soft voice.

"Gaara, what's wrong?" she murmured, bare tips of her fingers brushing over the few longer hairs on his right ear. He turned his head to her and snorted, feeling his fur fluff up on instinct. She sighed and mumbled a, 'weird dog' beneath her breath while she untied her apron and folded it on the counter while Lee gave her another smile and told her good night.

She picked up Gaara's leash (he very much wanted to gnaw the leash off, but rules were rules and a little gratitude was needed since she was unknowingly taking something very dangerous in) and tugged on it so he would follow her. She picked up a large umbrella and opened it once they were outside and he stayed under it as much as he could without touching her. His ear flipped when he heard her sneeze.

ΩΩΩΩ

Sasuke threw his head back and blood dripped from his lips, crashing with the ground and smattering only to be washed away. His tongue ran over abnormal teeth and his lips while he looked down at the man who was twisted in an awkward angle at his torso, doing a status report. He was breathing heavily and blood squirt from the holes in his throat. The black haired youth backed away and the man watched as he reared up, catching sight of three identical black commas running in a circular pattern on the boy's shoulder. "Yo…you're…" he began coughing and hacked up blood all over his trench coat.

"I'm?" Sasuke waited for him to answer and only saw a finger weakly pointing at him.

"O…one…o-of those…" he coughed again while Sasuke stared down at him dispassionately, toeing him in his ribs. "T-things!" he gasped his last word before he coughed and there was a muffled gurgle in his throat before his chest remained still. Obsidian eyes gleamed red in the darkness suddenly and he reached over the pick up his discarded trench coat, slipping into it with ease.

Sasuke looked down at the dead body lying at his feet and scowled, "It's bastards like you that made me what I am." He sniffed the air and froze suddenly, looking to the end of the alleyway where he had entered. A blonde man with odd scars on his face that looked similar to whiskers stood and shocking blue eyes stared at the corpse. Silence reigned in and suddenly an abnormally large orange colored fox with numerous black tipped tails that swished snarled at the black wolf that stood in the downpour. The wolf's ears pinned back and he bore his teeth silently and threateningly.

"_Sasuke! You son of a bitch! You're not supposed to" –_

"_Kill them?"_ the wolf licked his lips and the silent commentary they were having went on unnoticed. _"They die, we live. They live, we die. Simple, no?"_

The fox's hateful orange reddened eyes narrowed and his snarled, taking a step towards the motionless black wolf that snorted mockingly at him. The wolf spoke once more, _"Gaara found someone to give him a sanctuary. So did you."_ The wolf shook his head and circled, laughing to himself in what sounded like low toned growls and grunts, red eyes gleamed. _"That's against the rules, not to mention cowardly - running with your tails between your legs."_

The fox snarled back, _"I'm not the one whose someone's dog Sasuke!"_ he snapped and he moved quickly, leaping over a trashcan and landing on the ground heavily. The wolf was moving, lowering his stance and opened his jaws wide while the fox snapped his teeth, jaws closing on one of his tails and flinging him into the wall. There was a crack and the fox let out a yelp but twisted and latched on to the ankle of the wolf's hind leg. The wolf yelped and tried moving back to shake the fox off, but he wouldn't let go, allowing himself to be dragged.

Snaps, yelps and snarls carried on in the alley way and the thunder rolled, lightning flashed and the rain continued to pour relentlessly on the two.

The heavens wept while the moon shamefully hid behind a blackened veil of wispy clouds, hiding her stars when a lone howl carried in the wind.

ΩΩΩΩ

Gaara could feel the strain of being in this much more compact version of his original form and resisted the urge to scratch at the skin on his forehead; right above his left eye. He mildly watched the Hyuuga woman go down the hall for a shower. She was innately boring, immaculate, shrouded and discreet in everything she did, but she, like everyone else he had come across in his life, had a secret life. Naruto (that damn meddling fox) told him bits and pieces about Hinata, and tomorrow, Gaara realized was her 'movie night' which meant he was going to be alone.

He was going to be all alone for nearly an entire night and he could hunt down the Uchiha. He listened to water running. Gaara's nostrils flared and he lifted his head, feeling his fur rise up slowly when a prickle, tingly sort of feeling overcame him. Far off, he heard a distant howl, long and low that somehow overpowered the pounding of the relentless and ruthless rain. Gaara felt his hackles rise and he slipped from the comfortable sofa silently, having only a loose and thick black collar on him instead of that damnable leash. The howl came again, but closer. Gaara snapped his teeth in agitation and looked over his shoulder to see that the bathroom light escaping from the small crack at the bottom of the door was still radiating and sounds of bathwater were still running.

His ears pulled back harshly when there was a scratch at the door. Just one and that was all. His lips pulled back and he turned to it, tail fluffing up in agitation when he heard it once more and low breath on the other side.

Lightning flashed and no longer the raccoon dog stood, but in its place a red haired youth with an agitated pose. His eyes narrowed at the door when no sound came from the other side and his grey green eyes gleamed. "Uchiha."

On the other side, there came a muffled, yet harshly hissed out, "Sabaku."

Silence reigned in and Gaara heard the bathroom door open up, steam rushing out and a self satisfied sigh. His bones compacted almost immediately, feeling them crunch and crumble on themselves, his face narrowing it and elongating while his ears grew out. The redheaded male was gone leaving an ill at ease dog thing that looked like a raccoon. Hinata stopped to look at the dog which gave her a deceptively blank look before looking back at the door, and Hinata looked at the door in confusion. Had there been someone there when she'd been gone?

She walked to the door and unlocked it, peering out of it curiously only to see a dark road with some sort of dark looking canine figure in the middle of the road, looking back at her house. Red eyes gleamed and Hinata's breath rushed out. She felt soft fur brush her calf and she looked down. "Gaara…?" she asked quietly. The raccoon dog was breathing hard and his eyes were extremely wide, a grin on his face. His fur was puffed out and he looked twice as large, abnormal grey blue designs on his fur looking odd.

The tips of her fingers touched the end hairs of his ear and she watched it twitch before he snorted in response. "I feel like spicy chicken burritos. What about you, Gaara?" the raccoon dog turned to her once the black figure was gone, had vanished. She was an odd clumsy little idiot. She never once fed him any of that crappy dog food and fed him what she ate. She probably never actually took care of an animal before in her life.

She rubbed the coarse hairs on his ear absently, since that was the only amount of contact he would tolerate and she didn't want to touch him too much either; he was too weird for any bonding. She got a huff in response before he trotted off to the sofa and she heard the television flicker on, soap opera music from, _'You, Me, We, Them' _playing and she stared out in the darkness before closing the door, shutting off the cold wind from her bare calves while simultaneously tightening her knee high silk robe's belt around her waist.

She stopped movement and looked at the door when she heard a lone howl amidst the rain.

Silence and she listened the main characters argue over who the father was. She looked over at Gaara and saw a red haired young man leaning against her couch leisurely with his head against the arm of the sofa. She blinked and stepped back with a hand against her mouth. A gold and grey blue colored raccoon looking dog thing lay on the couch lazily watching the television before dark king's gold eyes flickered up to hers in inquiry.

She shook her head, hand still to her mouth and she walked away, blinking rapidly till tears were summoned. Dreams of dreams, so dreamy, dreary, dreamy and dreamy of another's dream… daydreams would be the end of her. Hinata let a hysterical, tiny laugh bubble up from her throat while she stood in the kitchen.

The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed quietly. Dreaminess, dreamy dreams…

-

To **akuma de soro**, it is slightly similar to Wolf's Rain, however, in this story they are not hiding from humanity specifically and the line between 'good guy' and 'bad guy' blurs for _everyone_. :D Hinata's more or less the cliché person who gets stuck in the middle, but she doesn't stay in the middle forever. XD

Also, this story may seem to border on romance, but in all actuality it's going to be dealing with the world a government hides from its people, the need for compassion and trust in the world and friendship. :D Yeah, I'm a dork. Also, despite the title only containing three, Naruto and a couple others will play an enormous part in this story. I know Gaara is abnormally 'mild', but he won't be for long. Trust me. :D Have a nice read and day folks.


	5. Chapter 5

_The Jackal, the Mignonette and the Wolf_

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Sasuke leaned against the wall, hearing the troop pass by with their shined boots and cordial black uniforms. He lowered his face and the collar of the trench coat was high enough that it covered a good portion of his face. Those bastards were looking for him; they had found Doctor Nakashima – the bastard he had cornered in the alley. That fucking son of a bitch didn't deserve the name _doctor_ since he only butchered people; cut them or their DNA up until their own mothers didn't recognize them. Bastard.

He deserved what was coming to him, and Sasuke had made sure that instead of a quick twist of jaw and a snap of neck bone like he would have done to others, that Nakashima would feel something before he kicked it. Sasuke was pulled out of his thoughts when a soldier stopped and turned to him, boots crunching against the concrete sidewalk. "Oi! You, what the bloomin' hell are you doing after hours? Eh? Didn't you know it's already ten?" Sasuke kept silent and could feel his neck tighten, lips pulling back to reveal teeth ready to snap, bite; conquer.

He waited until the soldier came closer, farther into the pitch black of the alley with only a crappy streetlamp lit, dimly glowing and flickering before finally sputtering out. Sasuke's head lifted, finally when he heard the soldier curse about the new lack of light and though the soldier was half blind in the darkness, Sasuke could see him _just fine_. Black eyes gleamed like black pearls. The soldier sounded pissed; footsteps coming down harder on the concrete with leaden boots. "Piss head! I'm talking to you, _civilian_," he said it like a racial slur. "What the bloody fuck are you doing after curfew?!" he lifted his rifle as he approached him.

The trench coat fluttered to the ground and the pale man once there was gone; had vanished into thin air. A black wolf stood in his place, picking his way from the folds of the coat, tail twitching and ears forward. The soldier stopped when the lamp flickered on once more, a dim orange glow like the trickling edges of fire alit around them. He heard the wolf growl inhumanly, larger than any other canine the soldier had yet to encounter.

His chin trembled when the wolf's lips peeled back and his red eyes glinted in the dark like fiery rubies. His rifle fell when he tried to shoot. The wolf threw his head back and his throat unlocked; letting loose a malicious bellow of the hunt and kill. He ran forth, tail lashing out behind him and he leapt, the soldier screamed in terror and time was suspended. The soldier registered the feeling of claws digging into his lightly padded shoulders and heavy paws hitting him in his solar plexus – knocking the air out of him before something latched on to him. Teeth crunched down, biting his jugular and bleeding him to death like a sheep to the slaughter. He fell back slowly, with the wolf hanging on to him and just as Sasuke suspected, a few more soldiers appeared at the end of the alley, shouting.

They readied their rifles and aimed, but the light flickered out like a dead hope.

Shots rang out, but Sasuke remained uninjured, running for the two of them and catching one his forearm before flinging him into his companion, biting his companion on his thigh and tearing out a mouthful of muscled flesh. A yell before Sasuke leapt on him viciously, knocking his companion to the side and he crunched down on his helmet with powerful jaws. The helmet's visor split and Sasuke tore off the protective hard plastic. Sasuke darted forth and his jaws crushed the man's face, tearing the very skin from him. He spun and ran for the one readying to shoot him.

"_Not so fun now, is it? Teasing the stupid animal that can't do anything – isn't fun anymore is it?_" Sasuke had shoved the man down and tore at his throat, yanking out threads of thickened flesh and splattering blood all over his fur. "_See? I _did_ remember all of you fuckers._"

Sasuke pushed off of the dead soldier before retreating to his coat. As he walked, he ignored the pangs of pain from bones crunching, reforming, lengthening and shortening. He cracked his neck and a muscle in his blood covered jaw line tweaked. Picking up the coat, he folded in neatly and threw it over his shoulder. He could the march of soldiers coming back around the block and they would find their bodies. He couldn't go out the way he had come in.

Sasuke rolled his shoulders and felt his nails sharpen, thicken; the veins in his hands bulged and lean muscle twitched. His eyes widened and his jaw lengthened, spine creaking and bending, bones shifting and forming something else. His ears went to points, like an elf's before growing. Spots of fur popped from his arms, legs, face and his feet widened, growing.

Had any of the soldiers seen Sasuke, they would have been subject to a state of denial akin to having taken a hallucinogenic. There was no man in his place, no snarling wolf – a beast of unimaginable size and legend. It looked to be a _werewolf_ climbing up the sides of the alley and to the roof.

ΩΩΩΩ

Gaara's eyes opened, slid back after he finished changing back into his humanoid form, he yawned and ruffled his hair with one hand. Lazily, he looked around the home he was situated in and walked to the fridge, pulling out the milk carton and drinking straight form it. A noise, rustle in the dark made him pull away so he was merely holding the carton before shoving it back in the fridge. The red tinted peach fuzz on the back of his neck rose up while his muscles tightened then flexed accordingly.

Outside, there was no squirrel.

There was a rage filled bloodlust that commanded attention and it wasn't the Uchiha - that Gaara could tell because this scent was different and new. Briefly, a spark akin to an electric thrill raced through his blood, emptying like a sinking oil ship into his brain and sending fits of high adrenaline into him. He paused to do a minor statistics check on the woman who had welcomed him into her home – slow breathing, murmuring but asleep nonetheless. Gaara unlocked the door and made his way outside.

Leanly corded muscle moving like a bright red banner that said 'come 'n get me'. Gaara made a turn to the side of the house and rustling stopped. His scalp prickled, the air changed, grew moister and warmer. "You're hiding out too, eh?" the irritating, grating voice. Gaara turned to face Sakon, no sign of his mellower and level headed twin Ukon.

Gaara stared back at him evenly, before spotting a bar code on Sakon's right wrist, dug in deep to the inner flesh. Sakon noticed Gaara's look and slight suspicion as to the only thing he could be suspicious of. "Sabaku, where's Uzumaki and Uchiha?"

The redhead gave the single twin a blank stare, "Orochimaru would only concern himself with Uchiha."

Sakon shrugged, "He's been so worried about all three of you, running off from the labs without so much as a by your leave."

Gaara's eyes flashed gold briefly, diluting the green only momentarily. "Where's Ukon?" Gaara, while never known for having much tact, always managed to surprise people.

Sakon grinned rakishly, "Being the gentleman he is, he's making sure that your bonny lace is sleeping nice and tight."

Gaara's eyes narrowed only by a fraction and he watched as Sakon's teeth protruded more so, like a caveman overbite. "Orochimaru-sama requests an audience with you…but I like to think I know you well enough to know the answer." His canines grew upwards from his bottom row, pointed and sharp like upside down boar tusks. From his temples, an impressive set of ram's horns curled out thickly, blood spurting to the side from breaking skin with the over amount of calcium. He laughed, a snorting grunting sound much like the sound of a demented ram trying on a human voice. His nails were thick, pointed as though carved from hooves.

Gaara's red hair blended into a gold color with odd patterns of grey blue – eyes being swallowed whole in black and gold trinkets. His jaw lengthened and there before the half ram and half man stood a large dog holding resemblance to a raccoon. Gaara snarled and dove forth, aiming for Sakon's thin ankles, much too much like a true mountain ram. Sakon bellowed and snagged his nails over Gaara's fur, sending out tips.

Gaara twisted lithely and caught onto a horn with his teeth holding on while Sakon reared his head back in outrage. Sakon made a whistling sort of sound followed by yet another angered bellow, tossing his head from side to side like a horse with a fly in its ear.

Heavy paws were placed on Sakon's chest and shoulders while Gaara held on stubbornly, knowing that Sakon's hide had hardened to that of a mildly hard bone. Key arteries would be liable to hit; thighs, under his arms and his neck. Gaara loosened his grip on Sakon's horn to dive dove and, missing his neck, instead scrapping his arm with his teeth. He was knocked to the side with a curled horn tip, flung into the bushes where he merely rolled and charged at Sakon once more. He faked a dive for Sakon's neck, to which he flung himself back, but left his legs firmly where they were.

Gaara's teeth dug into his thigh, and flung his head back viciously spraying blood. Sakon twisted and flung himself from the sadistic dog creature. The additions to his human features retracted while he limped from Gaara, "Fucking prick," he hissed between clenched teeth. Gaara snarled, tasting blood and wanting more. True to his predator roots, he approached Sakon with bared teeth and snappish gold eyes.

"Gaara, let's settle this nicely, shall we?" he heard another voice similar to Sakon's; turning he saw Ukon holding Hinata by her throat. She twisted in his grip and tried to let out a shrill scream, to which Ukon covered her mouth but she managed to kick him in his knee painfully.

"Get…off…me!" she hissed, writhing, catching sight of Gaara, blood covering his muzzle and teeth now currently bared at this blue haired man holding her.

Ukon calmly held her by her throat a bit more tightly, constricting before slamming her head harshly against a corner edge of her house. Her pale eyes rolled in her head without direction. Her body went limp and her head lolled to the side listlessly. Gaara snarled at Ukon.

"Tomorrow Orochimaru-sama will be holding a charity ball and he expects you three to show up, or pain and death to this little birdie here." He shook Hinata's limp body as an emphasis. "It's up to you entirely, Uzumaki will show I know since he has a friendly attachment to this one, you will go since she took you in and the Uchiha…well, you'll have to convince him won't you?" Gaara didn't budge or show acknowledgement.

Ukon stopped down to sniff at her neck, "She smells nice, I'm sure you've noticed Gaara. Smells _human_ and _kind_…which means she's delicate and I could snap her in two in _any way_ I wanted, Gaara."

The redheaded youth appeared before Ukon, eyes narrow and a scowl fit over his lips. "Hand her over," he commanded. Ukon smiled.

"The ball begins at seven tomorrow night and should you decide to run, I'll kill her and it won't be quick and silent. It'll be slow and nasty." Ukon dropped her body on the ground before walking over to his injured brother and throwing his arm over his shoulder. "Nice seeing you again Gaara," he added as a polite afterthought.

He walked down the dark road with his limping brother.

Gaara moved silently over to Hinata, noticing the blood collecting at her right temple, matting her hair in sticky clumps. He stooped down and stared into her face. Hesitation didn't mark his next actions, gripping her underarms and lifting her easily like a child into his arms before marching to the house. Kicking the door closed behind him, he wandered into the hallway and entered her bedroom. Minding her head, he lay her down before retreating to the bathroom.

Filling her night cup full of cold water he returned and splashed it on her face, making her lashes flutter and eyes pop open.

"Gaara?" her voice was small and quiet, confused. The golden furred dog raccoon thing blinked down at her lazily, and then as if remembering something, she shot up and looked around wildly despite the headache pounding. "Where did those men go?" she whispered in a hushed tone and started to rise but fell down, body taxed and world spinning.

Gaara, of course, gave no answer and backed away slowly while she held a hand to her head, mumbling about a possible concussion. Her hand lashed out and caught a handful of his fur, making him jump slightly and bare his teeth. "Stay a little while would you?" she muttered, fighting to keep her eyes open and lifting herself so she scooted back and kept herself propped up on the wall behind her futon.

"I just had a near death and or rape experience the least you could do is make sure I just don't up and…" she yawned, "Die." Gaara gave her a flat stare before sitting down on his haunches beside her. Her head rolled to him and her normally large eyes were mere slits, fighting to stay awake. "Act like an actual dog for once and let me pet you," her words were slowly slurring and Gaara lay down, snarling at her a little. Her hand came down heavily on his head and scratched between his ears.

Her eyes closed and Gaara bit her wrist enough for it to sting. She muttered something about 'stupid dogs' and opened her eyes, fluttering. With a sudden show of strength she tugged on Gaara's ruff and brought his neck and head over one knee, before continuing to scratch. "A while ago…you'd have bit off my hand for doing this…" she mumbled incoherently. "You and Naruto are my only friends…is that even a little sad or pathetic?" she continued to talk and while Gaara sorely wanted her to just go to sleep and stop babbling, she needed to stay awake. "I buy a movie ticket once a week when I can to a comedy movie to hear people laugh because…I can't make people laugh…and I can't laugh much either…" her fingers tread too close to entrance of his ear so he flipped it in annoyance. "I'm a coward too. I ran away…" her eyebrows drew together momentarily, "From them. From the responsibilities I'd never be able to fulfill because I'm not like them. I don't have the sort of pride they do. As Hinata, a person, I have enough…not as a Hyuuga, never…as…a…" she yawned and fell to side, bumping her other knee into Gaara's nose and head crashing into his side.

"I'm kinda…sleepy…"

Gaara looked down at her, "I can see that."

She curled about him, using him both as a pillow and blanket. He thought about moving, he thought about biting her and walking off with a satisfied feeling, he also thought about staying and offering her a little comfort. He thought about sleep, even if only for an hour or two.

Snorting to himself, he concluded that this woman's insanity was rubbing off on him because in turn, he curled around her and rested his muzzle on her hip. His eyes slid closed and he inhaled deeply.

He wondered what a good sleep felt like before he drifted off.

-

Yes, I kept Sasuke to his Avenger form, as for Gaara and Naruto's positions? …you'll find out. :D I do hope you like how I've portrayed Sasuke, and I hope you have guesses as to what Naruto and Gaara may be in this weirdo more than a little cliché plot I have.

**taixonay** – by Sanctuary is just that (this isn't a spoiler because this is basically a ripped off dictionary definition); a safe house or a shelter. And Hinata's dreaminess is extremely significant because it only complicates matters in means of her survival and how much her opinion matters to people. :D

**K-promises-fall** - _"Dreams of dreams, so dreamy, dreary, dreamy and dreamy of another's dream_" is a spoiler because this is my way of trying you to figure Hinata's position out.


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